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letters From the Editors REKINDLING THE SPARK Garrett Hack How do you stay excited about woodworking year after year? That might seem like a funny question to those of you who don’t make a living at this as I do, those who are still discovering the joys of wood and new tools, with endless projects to build. But any of us can get bored making 18 paneled doors, or distracted by so many other ways to spend a weekend. After three decades of working wood, I still can’t wait to get into the shop in the morning. One of my secrets is to make sure each day is different. From finishing to turning, inlay, carving, and so on, furniture making is endlessly challenging and vast in scope. So push yourself with each project to try a new technique, attempt a new design, or use new materials. You’ll be very engaged. Lately I’ve been forming some copper and brass feet, which I’ll send out for gold-plating. It has been difficult but lots of fun. Experiment and try things you have read about. Maybe you get excited about devising new jigs or thinking up more efficient or better ways of doing typical tasks. New ways of working sometimes lead to frustration, but they keep furniture making interesting and fun for me. My second tip is to get connected to peers. It’s a great way to share knowledge and stay inspired. Join a guild, start your own woodworking group with friends, go to a conference such as the ones The Furniture Society and Colonial Williamsburg put on, or take part in an online forum. It will expand your awareness of all that’s going on and spark some new interests. You’ll find unusual sources for wood, parts for an outdated machine, or a new finishing recipe. And put your work out there in an exhibition. There’s nothing like having your work seen by your peers to push you to do your best—because they know. Even if you love woodworking, too much of a good thing can feel like another job. Long weeks burn me out. There are ways to enrich your woodworking without being in the shop. Spend a day at a museum, read about the history of furniture or art, take a walk and look at architecture, or visit that new homedesign store in town. You never know where inspiration will come from. Breaks like these always bring me back to my work with new energy, new ideas, and a clear head. — Garrett Hack is an acclaimed furniture maker and teacher, and a contributing editor. 10 F I N E WO O DWO R K I N G Mill lumber safely? Was I the only one who noticed that an article named “Mill Lumber Safely” (FWW #196) contained a photo of someone ripping a board on a tablesaw without a splitter? —JAY WEINSCHENKER, Whittier, Calif. SawStop’s limitations The SawStop tablesaw is a big step forward in safety, but it has significant limitations. And Fine Woodworking has not made these clear enough in recent reviews. The system must be deactivated to cut wet pressure-treated lumber, foilbacked oriented-strand board (OSB), wood with staples, and any other electrically conductive material. When deactivated, it obviously can’t do its job. And when the system is triggered, it ruins both the brake cartridge and the blade. So a single inadvertent firing can cost you $200. Of course, a misaligned miter-gauge fence or a loose riving knife can also contact the blade and trigger the cartridge. I’m sure there are those who will say that $200 is a small price to pay if it saves a finger. Maybe so … but there are many of us who have operated a tablesaw for decades without getting so much as a scratch. —JOHN PITKIN, Greenville, Texas Alternative to pricey plywood I certainly agree that the phenolic plywood discussed in “The Ultimate Shop Plywood” (FWW #198) is better than standard or Baltic-birch plywood, but I think you give it too much praise. The surface is not as thick or durable as the melamine available at home centers. If you need a better substrate than melaminecovered particleboard, the most durable jig surfaces and shop tables can be made by covering birch plywood with the thicker laminate used in countertops. Home centers offer great deals on partial and